It Will Rain
by Kaitey
Summary: Klaus once told Elijah that love is a vampire's greatest weakness but despite that the older vampire managed to fall in love. He protected the love of his life with everything he had and now it's her turn to repay the favor.   Elijah x OC
1. Chapter 1

_A/N Okay so this is my first TVD fanfic so any constructive criticism is appreciated :) It begins after 3x11 but after that it only will only follow the show loosely._

_And buckets of thank yous to my best friend (who has yet to make an account) cause without her, I wouldn't have been motivated to do this! Enjoy!_

Chapter one- Old Beginnings

Gwen's head was bent low against the wind, her red curls flying around wildly, unable to be restrained. The only other sound besides the wind was the soft steps of her black leather boots. She wasn't worried that she was the only one on the dark street. In fact she pitied anyone who tried anything on her tonight. But she doubted they would.

Mystic Falls was hardly what a vampire of her nature would call dangerous. Unless she counted the recent hybrid population as a threat. Gwen smirked at the idea. The hybrids were a nuisance, nothing more. Practically children when it came to fighting but either way they had served their purpose. By the time she reached her destination, Klaus would realize his little puppets had been removed from Mystic Falls.

Gwen turned down a little side street that led to the town square. She came to a stop in the little grassy park and she tilted her head to the side, trying to understand what all the fuss was about. The town was nothing compared to the big cities that usually attracted Klaus. Mystic falls was insignificant which made it all the more interesting.

Besides, if Klaus thought it was worthy of his attention then there had to be something special somewhere in the town.

Gwen pursed her lips as she took another look around, nope she didn't see it.

But then again, the Original could have snapped and completely lost his mind. She smiled briefly at the thought.

No... Niklaus didn't do anything without a reason and she was determined to find out what it was.

On the other side of town, the Original vampire in question was taking out his frustration rather violently on the only surviving hybrid from the patrol he had sent out in case Stefan decided to try anything else.

"What do you mean, they're gone?" Klaus seethed, his vision turning red. "Did they all just disappear into thin air?" He advanced towards the shaking hybrid, his fangs beginning to lengthen.

"N-N-No!" The man gasped out, too afraid to even try defending himself. "We were all just wandering around, there was no sign of Stefan or anyone else and then all of sudden Kyle vanished." He shuddered but he was more afraid of Klaus's wrath than the image in his head. "Then Amanda and Joseph were gone and then it was just me."

Klaus pinched the bridge of his noise and took a few deep breaths. But his attempt to try and calm himself down failed miserably. "So you mean to tell me that you didn't see anything, anything at all?"

The frightened man shook his head immediately, sensing the fury building in the Original.

"Well that is disappointing."

Klaus's mind was racing. It couldn't have been Stefan, he knew the younger vampire well enough to know that he would trust Klaus to remove his hybrids himself. But after the stunt he had pulled with Elena, Stefan had become unpredictable.

Yet, Klaus knew it wasn't him but the others were too spineless to do anything themselves! Klaus' jaw clenched, he was infuriatingly lost.

"Unless..." The devious glint returned to Klaus's eye and before he stalked off he snapped at the hybrid, "Go make yourself useful, I have a phone call to make."

As Gwen waited for her phone to ring in the town square, she hummed along to an old song by the Beatles, tapping her feet to the beat. The Beatles brought back memories of pin-straight hair and crowns made out of daisies.

Her phone beeped and she looked down at her iPhone lovingly; she remembered a time when she would have scoffed at owning such a device.

At the same time, she could easily remember the first time she'd heard of portable music players. How fascinated she had been by the idea that someone had discovered a way to put tiny little musicians in a box. How far society had come; once upon a time the only way to get music was to make it yourself.

She laughed to herself at the memory.

But her momentary trip down memory lane was interrupted by the obnoxious ringing of her cell phone.

"Finally." Gwen smiled to herself, and she picked up after the first ring, why bother keep him waiting?

"Niklaus?" Gwen murmured into the phone, a sly smile appearing on her face. "I have missed you."

"Ah Gwen darling, I thought you might have come to town." Klaus's familiar voice answered, only a bare hint of tension was audible but it was there. Her smile widened.

"I just couldn't stay away." Gwen started walking, her green eyes searching for any hint of hybrids that might lurking about. "My curiosity got the better of me once again."

She heard something snap on the other line and she wondered what he had broken, it had been almost two centuries since their last meeting and she'd almost forgotten about his temper.

Nasty thing that was.

Gwen made a clucking noise with her tongue. "And I bet yours is just about killing you now. Aren't you wondering what happened to your precious hybrids?" Gwen made sure to pause dramatically, waiting for the explosion that was sure to come.

"Are you really sure you want to test me Guinevere?" His voice was low and dangerous but she wasn't as scared as she used to feel when dealing with Klaus. She still felt that twinge of paranoia when hearing his voice but she pushed it back to the farthest corner of her mind. She couldn't afford to give in to panic yet, not when she was so close.

Instead Gwen opened her mind to the rage that had been slowly eating away at her for months.

"Oh Niklaus, I wouldn't dream of doing anything to upset you." Gwen tried keeping her tone light but she couldn't fight the darker tone that was creeping into her voice.

"In fact I could leave this town instantly if you would just give me one tiny bit of information. Not a huge thing really." She heard him sigh on the other end and grind his teeth together.

"What do you want?"

Gwen clenched the phone tightly in her hand and all but spat out her question, "Where is Elijah?"

Klaus' eyebrows shot up but he let out a low chuckle, covering his surprise. He'd had no idea how close his brother and the redhead had become but he made sure to store the information away in his mind.

"Why on earth would you be looking for my brother dear Guinevere?"

There was a pause and he knew exactly why she was hesitating. He'd already had this conversation with his brother but apparently the idiot chose not to listen. Klaus shook his head to himself; love truly was a vampire's greatest weakness.

"I have my reasons," was Gwen's tense reply.

Klaus' smirk widened, "You were always such an easy book to read, love."

There was a snarl on her end of the line and she all but screeched into the phone, "You don't know anything!"

"And neither do you sweetheart," Klaus replied calmly. "I have no idea where Elijah is. In fact I'm in the process of looking for him myself." That was true since Stefan had yet to return his family.

The Original sighed, just thinking about the rogue vampire gave him a headache. He would have to deal with that problem sooner or later. Most likely sooner.

Gwen had obviously calmed herself down but Klaus could tell that she was still furious, her temper almost rivaled his. And just like him, her moods would change like a tide.

There was a long pause in which Klaus knew the wheels in Gwen's head would be spinning. Finally, she murmured, "you're lying."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Klaus whispered into the phone, realizing that he had just gained an unexpected ally. There was no doubt in his mind that Gwen would help him if it meant she would be able to get to Elijah.

Even unaware of the plot beginning to form in Klaus' mind, Gwen could tell by the calculating tone in his voice that there was no way he would just let her go now. "So where is he then?" She knew it was best to keep her cool when dealing with an Original but she was easily on the verge of snapping. Controlling her temper was something she had never managed, even after almost 1000 years.

"I'm afraid I don't know."

Gwen inhaled sharply, finally reaching the end of her rope. She knew Klaus was overly dramatic and that he enjoyed milking the moment for all that it was worth and she could appreciate that. Just NOT when it came to her and the people she loved.

"But I know someone who does."

"Well then TELL ME!" Gwen's rose to an unnatural pitch, so high only animals would be able to hear it, or another vampire.

Klaus chuckled, thoroughly enjoying testing her nerves. "Temper, temper. Patience is a virtue, remember?"

Gwen snarled at him through the phone showing him just how little patience she really had.

The Original sighed, Gwen really wasn't any fun when she was in a bad mood.

"Tell me Guinevere, have you ever heard of the Salvatore brothers?"


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N Again huge shout out to my bestie who has yet to make an account but I still wouldn't be doing this without her encouragement. _

_On that note, please read and review :) I love reading comments, they make my day and I love getting any feedback! _

Chapter Two - Unpleasant Introductions

Salvatore… NO. Gwen couldn't recall anything about any Salvatores. She recognized the word from the few years she'd spent in Venice but she'd never heard of any Salvatore _brothers. _Yet from the tone of absolute loathing in Klaus' voice, she would have assumed they were famous.

"No… I can't say that I have." She replied slowly, wondering where he was going with this.

"Well let's just say they have some things that…belongs to me, and I'd rather like to get them back." It was obvious that Klaus wasn't telling her the whole truth but she knew he wasn't a complete idiot, if she needed to know, he would tell her and it wouldn't be in anyone's best interest for her to push him for information.

"And where exactly do I come in?"

"There's a human girl, Elena, and Damon Salvatore would be quite willing to do anything for her, even reveal the location of the c-" Klaus cut himself off sharply and Gwen raised her eyebrows.

"Yes?" She could wait for an answer, she had no doubt that she would find out eventually, one way or another.

"But, she's out of town for the moment, so I'll be needing you to go to her house, and get invited in. I want you to deliver a message for me."

Gwen frowned as she thought about this, it wasn't that she was worried for herself exactly, she knew how to take care of herself, it was just, "and why exactly do you think I'd do this for you, is it a favor?"

Gwen's frown deepened as Klaus chuckled on his end of the line. "Not a favor per se, but you'll want the information we'll be collecting. You see, Damon Salvatore knows where to find Elijah."

If Gwen's heart still beat it would have taken flight, but even without it her breaths quickened and she was sure that she heard herself gasp.

"So, it is in your best interest to help me, wouldn't you agree?"

Gwen closed her eyes and murmured a quiet prayer under her breath, she knew she was basically making a deal with the devil and it was more than likely she'd regret her decision by morning but it was ELIJAH! If there was even a slight chance that this Damon would know where to find him, she would have to take it.

"What do you want me to do?"

Gwen was absolutely furious at herself for helping Klaus willingly, without even the threat of compulsion, but what other choice did she have?

She supposed it was more of an issue of pride; her confidence had been damaged severely when she realized she'd been lowered to the lackey job of one of Klaus' hybrids.

She shuddered in disgust but she would do it for Elijah.

Elijah was the sole reason she was in this tiny little town and the only reason she was currently standing outside Elena Gilbert's house was that she still clung to the hopes of finding him.

With a quiet sigh she pushed all thoughts of Eljah out of her mind and gave herself a mental shake. No morbid thoughts; she'd find Eljah soon and then everything would go back to normal.

Yes Gwen smiled, once she and Elijah were reunited they would leave Mystic Falls and forget about all of this but in the meantime, she would just have to help Klaus.

For a few moments Gwen just examined the white house curiously, it was practically a hut compared to the mansions she'd stayed in over the course of her lifetime. But for a human, she supposed it was acceptable. The columns decorating the porch were a nice touch.

With a light shrug to herself, Gwen marched up to the green door and knocked three times. She plastered on a fake smile that had been practiced to perfection over the years and pinched her cheeks to make them appear more flushed.

Her sharpened hearing picked up on one human heartbeat in the house but no vampires and she was a little confused. This was the doppelganger's house wasn't it ? Klaus said she played a key role to making his hybrids so wouldn't she be guarded a little more heavily?

But when she heard the heavy footsteps of a man, things clicked into place and she relaxed, her plan to getting inside would still work. In fact it might even go off better than before. The only other human currently living with Elena was Alaric Saltzman and he would be more touched by her cover story than the girl probably would.

A blond man, probably in his thirties, opened the door and stared down at her and she was a little taken aback. She had been expecting someone who was more alert and dangerous but everything about this man screamed sad. Gwen might have even thought he was handsome if his eyes weren't bleary and red.

Ah…. So he was drunk. She was never one who particularly enjoyed alcohol but she knew many vampires who found that it took the edge off the thirst. And it this case it would work to her advantage.

"Um, hello?" He appeared a bit stunned by her, and she figured that she wasn't exactly who she was expecting. He probably thought it would be some hybrid coming to threaten his life or everybody he loved or something like that. She could see why he'd be wary.

Annoying creatures those hybrids.

"Hi I'm Maddie." She beamed up at him and her red curls bounced a bit as she held out her hand for him to shake. Madeline was her mother's name and whenever the occasion called for it, that was the name she took.

It was the only thing she let herself remember about her human life; in her opinion there was no point in dwelling on things that were long gone.

Alaric stared down at her blankly, "And how can I help you Maddie?"

Gwen looked up at him with her bright grin. "I'm here to see Jenna, is she around?"

At the mention of the dead woman's name the man's face paled dramatically, almost looking like a vampire himself. "What?"

Gwen pretended not to notice and held up a hand to her cheek, feigning an embarrassed look.

"Oh my God, I'm at the wrong house aren't I? I could of sworn she said she lived at 2401 Maple, I'm so sorry to bother you!" She turned slowly on her heel and prepared to walk off the porch, expecting him to stop her by the time she got to the second step.

He grabbed her elbow before she made it to the first.

"Wait!" His voice cracked a bit and she wondered how close Alaric and Jenna Sommers had been for him to still care so much months after her death.

"Yes?" She turned back to look at him, pretending to be confused.

"No one called you?" His deep brown eyes searched her green ones but she didn't break, keeping them wide and open.

"Why would someone call me?"

"Jenna died last spring." He whispered gently, obviously trying to tell her in the least upsetting way.

Gwen's widened her eyes dramatically and she clutched one of the columns for support. "Oh my god."

In her opinion she was a fairly decent actress; Klaus wasn't the only one who enjoyed theatrics.

The blond man rushed over to her, "I would have thought someone would call." He sounded genuinely apologetic as he helped her stand.

Gwen shook her head slowly, "No…" She trailed off and looked up at him pathetically. "We were best friends in college." She leaned against the railing as if she was too weak to stand. "I haven't heard from her in almost two years. I thought I'd just come and surprise her. What happened?"

He sighed and ran his hands through his thick hair. "Why don't you come inside and I'll explain?" He gestured to the door that was still open.

She stiffened up and brushed fake tears off her cheeks. No way, it couldn't be that easy… but just in case she had to make it seem like he convinced her.

"No I should be going… I promised my boyfriend I'd only be gone for a short while and since Jenna's not here…" She gestured helplessly with her hands and slumped against the railing again.

"No, why don't you come in for some coffee or something, I think you need to sit down for a few minutes." He put his hand on her shoulder and led her inside the white house, shutting the door behind them without any hesitation.

"Thank you." She murmured, letting her eyelids droop and her shoulders sag. She could still see through her lowered lids and out of the corner of her eye she examined the wooden staircase that led upstairs, presumably to the bedrooms.

He steered her towards the living room and helped her out of her coat, and as he did, her Lapis Lazuli necklace flopped out of her shirt, the blue stone swinging like a pendulum for anyone to see. Her eyes widened in genuine panic for a moment and she hastily stuffed it into the collar of her sweater. She had no idea if Alaric saw what happened but she wasn't about to take any chances.

"Do you mind if I use your bathroom?"

He looked over at her and smiled a little bit, showing no sign of seeing the special piece of jewelry. "Sure, up the stairs to the left."

She trudged up the stairs, putting on a show of being exhausted but once Alaric wandered into the kitchen, she blurred up the rest of the stairs, making it to the top in less than a second.

She peeked into the first room she saw which had the appearance of someone just moving out. The room was virtually empty, only a few half-packed boxes remained along with a bed frame and a desk.

The next room she looked into had to be the Alaric's, it looked lived in and there wasn't anything remotely interesting besides a few pictures standing up on the dresser but she didn't care enough to examine at them any closer.

The third bedroom on the end of the hall had to be Elena's. It was girly as any 18 year old girl's bedroom would be, with a few teddy bears scattered around the room and pictures of friends shoved into the mirror frame. She walked further into the room, prodding the books laying around and something caught her eye.  
>Elena's diary was resting on the window seat and she took a few steps towards it before hearing a rustling noise from behind her.<p>

Gwen spun around and came face to face with an oddly designed crossbow pointed at her. She looked up and there was Alaric, frowning down at her with a grim expression.

She raised her eyebrows at him sceptically, looking at the crossbow with distaste, "Really, that's the best you got?" He opened his mouth to respond but she didn't give him a chance.

She knocked the bow upwards and out of his hands sending the useless combination of metal and wood flying across the room. She grabbed his throat and slammed him against the wall before he had a chance to take another breath. "Who are you? Robin Hood?"

He clutched onto her fingers, trying to pry them off his neck but it was pointless, they were like iron.

"Now, I'm not _supposed_ to kill you since you helped me but that whole stunt with the crossbow really pissed me off."

He merely glared at her and Gwen sighed, "I'm going to let go but you have to promise not to do anything dramatic, okay?"

He didn't respond but his face was beginning to turn a strange shade of red. "Oops." Gwen pulled her hand away and he slumped to the ground, gasping for air. He clutched onto the leg of a chair and tried pulling himself up but failed.

She chuckled to herself, humans were always trying to act stronger than they really were. She crouched down to his level and looked him in the eye, not hiding the amusement that was evident in her expression.

"I'm just looking for Elena, and I'd be very grateful if you told me where I could find her." She could tell he wasn't the type to betray the girl he was sure to love like a daughter but it was worth a try. Alaric just stared her down, panting heavily.

Gwen pouted mockingly, running a hand along his cheek, taking a brief pleasure in the stubble along his jaw. "That's too bad, I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way."

She traced a finger along his face again, this time digging in her nail, leaving a deep cut from his jaw to his cheekbone. His only response was a wince that he almost covered up and Gwen frowned, unhappy with his reaction.

"Oh well, I suppose throwing you into a wall could be more effective." She picked him up by the back of his neck, like he weighed no more than a few pounds and tossed him down the hall. She heard a low grunt as his head collide with the railing and she smiled.

Finally, a reaction.

She took her time walking down to meet him, her heels thudding along the carpet, making a satisfying noise.

She reached down and pulled him up by the front of his shirt and licked her lips, examining the blood that had begun to flow from his temple. " I would suggest you get that looked at later, but I doubt you'll get the chance."

Gwen's fangs lengthened and she prepared to bite into his neck but her head snapped around when she heard the door creak open.

From her point by the railing she could see the back of a man with black hair and from the lack of the heartbeat she knew he was a vampire. She sniffed delicately and raised her eyebrows.

Was this one of the_ famous_ Salvatore brothers?

"Hey Ric?" The vampire called loudly, his steps coming closer and closer to the staircase. He stopped right at the bottom and stared up at Gwen with mild curiosity in his clear blue eyes.

"I didn't know we were expecting company."


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N Reviews are love, and love is what makes the world go round __:)  
>So please review, it makes me so very happy!<br>Enjoy!  
><em>

Chapter three - Bargaining Chips

A satisfied smirk made its way across Gwen's face and she released the front of Alaric's shirt, letting him slump to the floor with a low moan. She nudged him backwards out of the way with the heel of her boot and she watched a brief flicker of panic appear in the vampire's crystal blue eyes before it disappeared behind a cool indifference.

"Now personally, I'd always thought breaking into someone's house and trying to eat them was considered rude in most social circles." He started onto the first stair slowly, keeping his blue eyes focused on Gwen. "But maybe that's just me."

Gwen shrugged lightly, "I didn't break in, he invited me." His eyes narrowed and he took another step but Gwen wagged a finger at him warningly, "Uh uh, not so fast. You would be Damon Salvatore I presume?"

Damon paused and examined her warily with his piercing blue eyes that Gwen found a touch unsettling. "Okay, so you know my name, how about you return the favor?" He walked up another step, watching her intently as if she was about to bite. Gwen's smirk turned into a sneer as she crossed her arms and snorted.

"Yeah, I don't think so." Like hell she was going to tell him anything.

Damon shrugged casually, like it as no big deal to come to his friend's house and find said friend laying in a pool of his own blood. "Fair enough, have it your way then."

Gwen raised her eyebrows and was about to respond when he blurred up the rest of the stairs, momentarily catching her off guard and much like she had down to Alaric minutes before, slammed her into a wall, pinning her down by her throat.

She hissed as her hip crashed into a wooden table but otherwise she wasn't wounded terribly. The table on the other hand was destroyed, a bit of a shame really, it was a rather nice table.

Damon let out a little growl and his grip tightened around her neck, shaking off her thoughts of the broken table. So, he planned on beating her using force; well she was older and that meant she was much, much stronger.

Gwen didn't even bother prying his fingers off her neck, she just gave him a punch to a jaw that sent him flying down the stairs and if he was human, probably would have killed him. But she didn't give Damon a chance to recover because as soon as she picked herself up off the ground she dashed down the staircase and landed square on his chest.

The other vampire let out a low groan and she smiled to herself.

"Oh come on, surely the famous Damon Salvatore can do better than that." She pouted in mock disappointment before a proud grin burst through onto her face.

Damon grunted and struggled to pull himself up but found it to be a bit difficult with the redhead still straddling his chest, "So my reputation precedes me. Can I at least know who I've offended this time?"

Gwen chuckled, wondering how it was even possible that Klaus hadn't already disposed of these…children. But Klaus had said there were two brothers. Perhaps this was just the stupid one…

In any case, she decided to humor him.

Gwen leaned forward so her red curls were tickling Damon's nose and her mouth was right by his ear. "I believe you're already familiar with him." Her voice became low and husky and when her lips brushed his ear, she would have sworn that he licked his lips. "Klaus sends his regards."

As soon as she breathed the Original's name, Damon was up in a flash, knocking her off his chest and into the railing, no doubt leaving an indent in the old wood.

Okay, so maybe he wasn't as weak as she originally thought, but she was still more powerful.

"Are we really going to do this again?" She sighed as he rushed at her, the younger vampire probably assumed that he could surprise her again but she easily dodged his attack, as if he were nothing more than an annoying housefly.

He continued to glare at her, showing no sign of backing down until she pounced on him, slamming his lean body into a wall, her hand on his neck in the exact same position that he'd locked her in before. "We both know that I could totally kick your ass. Why don't you just give up now?"

She raised her eyebrows until he held his hands up in a sign of defeat.

When she stepped away and dropped her hand, he cleared his throat and rubbed the red mark she'd left on his neck.

"Well, I guess we could be civil about this." Damon straightened himself up and straightened the collar of his shirt, "What does Klaus want?"

Gwen shrugged lightly and smiled calmly at him, "Who knows?" She picked some lint off her blue sweater and peered over at him through her lashes, "He's a bit crazy that one, but I got to hand it to him, he's very dedicated to his cause. Whatever it is."

Damon snorted and crossed his arms, giving her an disbelieving look. "Like you have no idea what he's planning. I bet you helped him organize this whole little scheme."

Gwen sighed and brushed a stray curl out of her face. "Believe what you want. I'm only doing what I'm told." And as soon she got Elijah back she would tell Klaus exactly what she thought out him ordering her around like she was one of his servants.

"Uh huh, sure. And Klaus gave you specific orders to eat Rick?" His was sneering but his blue eyes flickered over to where the history teacher lay at the top of the stairs, ruining his poker face.

"Nah, he just got in my way." Gwen smiled at Damon, silently daring him to just try and do the same. "Klaus wanted me to talk to you actually."

This peaked the vampire's interest and he edged towards her curiously. "Oh yeah? What about?"

The redhead sat down on the staircase and stretched lazily, careful to avoid the splinters of wood that had broken off during their fight. "You know it seems to have escaped my mind at the moment."

Damon stopped walking to glare at her suspiciously, "How convenient."

She just smiled up at him serenely.

"Alright, I'll bite, what do you want?" he walked over to the railing and leaned his elbow on the post, staring down at her.

Gwen pretended to look insulted, "Who says I want anything? I'm just the messenger."

He leaned down towards her and whispered, "Well I believe in _shooting _the messenger, so why don't you just get on with it?"

Gwen groaned and stood up, pushing him out of her way. These Mystic Falls people weren't any fun; she still couldn't see why Klaus bothered antagonizing them at all.

"Fine!" She leaned against the opposite wall and painted on a bored expression, "Klaus is under the impression that you have something that belongs to him and I've come to find out where you've hid it." She flashed him a charming grin. "So fess up."

The black-haired vampire stiffened, "I don't know what you're talking about." Gwen sighed and gave him a brief glare. Really, they were going to play this game? He couldn't just spit out the location of whatever the hell Klaus was looking for and make everything easier on everyone? He was being selfish really.

"Well, that really is too bad." She pouted and examined her fingernails. "I was hoping you'd tell me before Klaus had to send a hybrid all the way out to North Carolina. It's a rather long drive after all. "

Damon's blank expression was replaced by one that he probably thought was menacing; he bared his fangs and the veins around his eyes grew but she wasn't convinced so she continued, "Turns out that deputy you compelled couldn't resist Klaus' natural…charm."

"Where is Elena?" The other vampire spat out, coming towards to her slowly but Gwen's smile only grew larger.

"She won't be harmed, Klaus wouldn't risk something happening to his precious doppelganger." She paused for effect then added," but I might want to check in on your witchy friend if I were you."

Gwen dashed past him to the couch where her coat had been laying abandoned and paused by the she ducked out, she gestured to the man laying at the top of the stairs. "And I wouldn't forget about poor Rick over there, he's lost a lot of blood."

With one last smug smile, she sped away, leaving Damon by the door scrambling for the phone in his pocket.

Once she made it far enough away from the Gilbert house, Gwen tugged her own phone from her pocket and dialed the number Klaus had given her, impatiently listening to the dial tone.

Sometimes technology was a marvel but other times it just wasn't fast enough.

"Come on, come on…" She muttered, scowling at the screen that insisted that it was still connecting.

"Guinevere," Klaus answered after what felt like years, " I was wondering when I'd be hearing from you."

She snorted, "Yeah, I bet you were anxiously waiting by the phone." She paused, glancing up at the sky to the approaching sunset, momentarily distracted. She shook her head and started talking again.

"So…. I met Damon Salvatore and he really doesn't seem so bad. I bet in another life, you two would be _great_ friends. Why is it you want to kill him again?"

Klaus' deep chuckle vibrated through the phone line and Gwen felt a pit begin to grow in her stomach. She was reluctant to find out what put him in such a happy mood. Usually nothing good ever came of him getting what he wanted.

"You're awfully chipper this evening. May I know what's got the ever-gloomy Klaus happy as a clam?" She'd always been fond of that expression and so she was quite happy to find a chance to use it. Gwen smiled a little.

"Well my dear, I'm just one step closer to getting what I want." He sounded extremely proud of himself, "which means you're closer to getting what _you_ want."

Gwen sighed, her patience was starting to wear thin with all the vague answers she'd been getting. "Do you know where Elijah is or not, Niklaus? I'm beginning to think you don't have a clue."

And she would not be happy if he was leading her on a wild goose chase. No… If Klaus was using her, she'd make whatever the Salvatores did to him seem like a child's prank, a poorly planned, insignificant, child's prank.

"And I'm beginning to think you've forgotten who you're talking to." Klaus snapped and Gwen frowned. He really needed to be knocked down off his high horse.

"I'm not one of your hybrids Klaus, you can't just order me around." Gwen snapped at him warningly, not about to be threatened.

"Either way, you're going to help me with something else." Klaus informed her, showing no sign of hearing her last comment.

"Oh, and what would that be?"

At that particular moment, a white moving truck pulled off the side of the road she was walking along, scattering gravel everywhere. A blond hybrid was sitting in the driver's seat and as the truck drove up beside her, he flashed her a grin that she supposed was meant to be charming but she wasn't impressed in the slightest.

"You're going to with Elliot and… pick something up for me. I'll be waiting for you both back at the mansion." Gwen bristled, who was he to order her around? No she was done, she wasn't going to get involved in whatever ridiculous scheme he was planning.

"I don't think so-" She started, letting as much venom as she could leak into her voice.

"Thanks love, see you soon." And with that, Klaus hung up, leaving her staring at her phone with her mouth open like a fish.

It took much more of her restraint than she would be willing to admit, to hold herself back and refrain from chucking her phone at the nearest tree.

But her fuming was interrupted by two honks from the truck and when she turned around to glare at the hybrid, his blond head was hanging out the window. "Come on, we gotta go!"

Gwen swore under her breath as she stomped over to the waiting truck, glaring at the hybrid with her emerald eyes as if she could make him explode by staring at him hard enough.

"Calm down, sweetheart. You won't have to deal with me for very long." The young man chuckled as she climbed into the cab of the truck.

She shot him one last withering look before kicking her feet up on the dashboard and reclining in her seat. If she was going to play delivery boy with this sorry waste of space, she might as well be comfortable.

Gwen heard Elliot's quiet inhale, like he was preparing to speak and she held up her hand, effectively cutting off whatever optimistic words of encouragement she was sure he was about to spew out.

"Don't talk to me, don't look at me, don't even think about looking at me." She snapped, not bothering to gage his reaction. "I'm not here because I want to, I'm not bonded to Klaus, I find no pleasure whatsoever in helping him with his sadistic little scheme." She huffed and stared out the window, a little breathless from her rant. "Whatever it is anyway."

Elliot whistled under his breath and shook his head but Gwen acted like he was invisible and continued to do so for the rest of the twenty minutes she was trapped in the truck.

As they got father away from Mystic Falls, Gwen's mind began to wander; imagining all sorts of things that Klaus would be desperate to recover. Maybe some weapon that would be able to kill an Original? She instantly brightened at the prospect, her life would be significantly more enjoyable if she didn't have to keep looking over her shoulder every hundred years or so. Then logic kicked in, Klaus would sooner destroy such a weapon rather than hold onto it on the off chance it fell into the wrong hands.

Or the right hands.

Either way, whatever Klaus wanted, probably wasn't a weapon. Gwen sighed and rested her head on her elbow as she stared out at the fields rolling by.

"Are we close?" Gwen asked quietly, peering over at Elliot through the corner of her eye.

He didn't appear startled when she finally talked to him but he did break out into another face-cracking grin that instantly set the female vampire on edge.

"We're here." Elliot turned the tuck up down a pathway that had almost been covered with long, dry grass and for a few seconds, Gwen didn't get it. Then she saw it. The colonial style house that looked as if someone had been at it with a flamethrower.

"Alright," she turned to glare at the hybrid. "What's in the abandoned house?"

All she got in response was a cheeky grin that made her grind her teeth together.

Fine, he wanted to be like that, well then she'd just have to take matters into her own hands. Gwen hopped out of the tuck, landing nimbly on her feet despite it being a bit of a long way down.

Once her feet were firmly on the ground, she set off at a brisk pace, ignoring the protests from Elliot as he clambered down out of the truck in an attempt to catch up with her.

"Annoying hybrid," Gwen muttered to herself and using her supernatural speed, dashed into the house and slammed the door in Elliot's face, feeling a childish satisfaction in doing so.

But the moment she entered the old house, she felt a cold chill creeping up her spine.

She knew, somehow, that she wasn't wanted here. But she continued walking, searching for whatever it was that Klaus had sent them to get.

Gwen reached out to grab a decrepit looking door handle and just as she touched it, the main door flew open and Elliot stormed in, looking incredibly pissed off.

"What the hell?" He seethed and marched over to where she was standing.

"I couldn't stand your presence any longer. Your smell was beginning to bother me." Gwen's hand itched to pull open the old door and see what was inside but she felt a tugging on her arm and she looked down to see Elliot's pale hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" She snapped and snatched her arm away like the hybrid had a deadly disease, she eyed him quickly and shuddered delicately, he probably did.

" We need to go downstairs. We aren't supposed to wander around; get in and get out, that's what Klaus said." The blond's eyes darted around nervously and Gwen figured that she wasn't the only one who the house put on edge.

"Well it's a good thing I don't have to do what he says then isn't it?" She smiled and moved towards the door handle but once again was interrupted by Elliot.

She sighed and turned around to glare at him, he really was starting to get on her nerves.

"Don't you want to see Elijah again? You won't if we don't get what Klaus wants."

Gwen stiffened like she had been jolted by an electric current and she stared at the hybrid in shock. All she could mutter was a surprised, "What?"

Elliot shrugged casually and gave her a sly smile. "I know a lot more than most people would think. Klaus trusts me." As he finished, his arrogant smirk turned into a proud smile, like a young child after they've tied their shoes for the first time. It could only be endearing if she cared and right now she really didn't.

All she could focus on was how she planned on murdering Klaus for having mentioned Elijah's name to this disgusting half-breed.

"Oh, so you think you're special?" Gwen advanced towards him, her fingers curling into claws at her side. "You're expendable, replaceable, nothing but a means to an end." The look of doubt that crossed his face didn't make up for the fury she felt when she heard his pathetic voice say Elijah's name.

He had no right.

She brought her face close to his and hissed, "And if you ever even breath his name again, I'll prove it to you. I'll rip out your heart as he watches, and before you die, you'll see just how little he cares." By the time she finished speaking she was practically snarling but her little rant did the trick, Elliot was thoroughly terrified.

She pulled away and gave her curls a quick flounce, "Now you said we needed to go downstairs?" She flashed him a sweet smile and marched off to where the staircase was tucked away and eagerly descended.

A reluctant anticipation was creeping into her mind, and despite her borderline hatred of Klaus, she wondered what it was he'd just won back. The curiousity that had gotten her into trouble so many times before made a guest appearance and propelled her forward.

When she entered the first room she was surprised to find candles scattered around the room; some were still smoking as if someone had just extinguished them but aside from that, the room was empty.

Gwen frowned and swung around on her heel to rip into Elliot for bringing her to the wrong place but when she turned around she came face to face with the hybrid himself. "Well?" She snapped, scowling and putting her hands up on her hips.

Elliot ignored her and stepped into the middle of the room, and he when he took in the empty state of the basement her chuckled. For a brief second, Gwen wondered if he could see something that she couldn't.

"You made a deal with Klaus," the hybrid called out in almost a taunting way to some invisible force. "If you go back on your side of the bargain, I would be more than happy to help him carry out his threat."

All of a sudden the candles flared to life and Gwen couldn't help her small gasp.

Witches. It had to be.

This time it was her eyes that darted around nervously, searching for the source of power, yet, there were no witches that she could see lurking about in the shadows of the basement.

She'd never gotten along well with witches in all her years as a vampire but she'd been able to tolerate them until the late 80s when she'd made the mistake of insulting some witch's grandnephew or some other kind of relative and she'd come home to find her luxurious townhouse burnt to the ground.

She would have scowled at the memory but her train of thought was disrupted when three mahogany coffins appeared in the room, looking undisturbed, as if they had always been there and her mouth fell open with a soft popping sound.

Elliot laughed at her expression but she was too amazed to form a sharp retort, she could only stare in wonder.

"Now aren't you glad you came along for the ride?"


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N So sorry that I've been away so long! School's been hectic lately with exams and everything so I obviously haven't been able to get on much. I'm gonna try to get myself back on schedule so here's the next chapter- enjoy!_

Chapter four- Taken by Surprise

Gwen didn't answer Elliot's question right away, in fact, she was uncharacteristically quiet. She pushed past the hybrid to the coffin closest to her and let her hand rest on the cold wood. She didn't speak but her mind was racing , connecting the last few pieces of the puzzle. Everything made so much more sense.

Now she understood Klaus's desperation , his obsession, with reclaiming what the Salvatore boy had stolen. It wasn't a weapon that Klaus desired, Gwen realized as she stared at the coffins, but she was almost disappointed that it was something so mundane; Klaus's family. Very useful as a bargaining chip but insignificant to her.

She tilted her head as she considered the new information. Three coffins meant three daggered Originals.

Finn, Kol, and…Rebekah?

Gwen looked down at the coffin she was touching hesitantly but she cut her thoughts off before a seed of worry could be planted.

Elijah was safe, he wasn't in one of these coffins, he was perfectly safe.

She sighed quietly, knowing that she was being unreasonable and logically there was a 50/50 chance that Elijah was in one of the coffins but she just couldn't let herself go there. If she did there was a chance she'd go mad. She had to believe he was somewhere else, somewhere safe.

Elliot cleared his throat, presumably to get her attention but she easily ignored him, stroking the dark wood of the casket she was beside, with an almost desperate rhythm. She took a deep breath to steady herself and clutched the edge of the casket tightly; Elijah wasn't in there, he was safe.

When Elliot come up behind her and jostled her shoulder, Gwen was literally knocked out of her thoughts and for a moment, she forgot where she was.

" Do you mind?" She snapped and shifted out of the way as the hybrid stepped in front of her.

He rolled his eyes and pushed up his sleeves. " Come on, we got work to do." He grabbed onto the end of the coffin and started to drag it towards the door before he realized that Gwen hadn't budged.

"Are you going to help me or not?"

Gwen tilted her head to the side as if she was considering her answer and she had to admit that she enjoyed the look of agitation on Elliot's face.

"Fine, I guess I can help." She wandered over to the other end of the coffin the hybrid was holding on to and easily picked it up.

"Right, let me know if I'm going to bump into anything." Elliot started walking backwards towards the stairs and Gwen wondered if she should let him know that he was a little too far over to the left. She shrugged to herself, he'd figure it out eventually.

Before she could take another step forward, there was a crash and the coffin dipped to the ground as Elliot slammed into the door-frame.

"What the hell?" He ground out and rubbed his leg, sending a glare in Gwen's direction but she merely glared back at him.

"Oh come on, that couldn't possibly have been painful. Now be a big boy and let's get on with it."

Elliot's scowl deepened but he didn't say anything, just mumbled angrily to himself as he picked up the coffin. This time he looked over his shoulder to make sure he was on the right path before he started walking.

Two coffins later, Elliot was in the cab of the tuck, revving the engine and Gwen was wiping the dust off her hands onto a towel that she discovered in the back of the truck. She couldn't help a delicate shudder as she gazed at the dust that now covered the towel.

She hadn't done manual labor in years, let alone touched something dusty and for a moment, she missed the centuries she had gone without having to lift a finger.

But her petty displeasure evaporated when she happened to look over her shoulder to see the abandoned house standing in the distance. She turned back to the truck with a grimace and pulled down the door and snapped it into place.

Gwen felt a chill run up her spin and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She scoffed to herself, knowing her fear of a group of dead witches was ridiculous but she couldn't fight the bad feeling in the pit in her stomach.

Although, she had to admit, that she could see how the power radiating from the house would be captivating to a lunatic like Niklaus.

All of a sudden, one of the doors was slammed shut, causing her to snap out of her thoughts and back to reality.

Elliot appeared from around the side of the truck to stand beside her.

"Well," he told her cheerfully, "We're all packed up and ready to go!" He put his hands on his hips and turned to face Gwen, grinning with a new sparkle in his blue eyes, showing no sign of their earlier argument.

The vampire sighed and dragged a hand through her red curls absentmindedly as she was prone to do when thinking. She wasn't about to jump up and eagerly help Klaus but the faster she got away from this place, the happier she would be.

"Great!" The hybrid clapped his hands together eagerly, and Gwen briefly considered telling him where he could shove his annoying enthusiasm but figured that would just make things more difficult for her in the long run. And why make more trouble when it could easily be avoided?

He pretended not to notice the resentful look on Gwen's face and with a botched attempt at eloquence, the blond bowed and held open the passenger door like an old fashioned gentleman. "Ladies first."

Gwen drifted passed him silently, keeping her face blank. Elliot could be gallant all he wanted but it wouldn't change her distasteful opinion of him; she could hold grudges for centuries. After all, she had all the time in the world.

She still refused to talk to the vampire who'd drunkenly spilled red wine on a new dress at a ball three hundred years ago.

Elijah was constantly telling her she needed to learn how to give people a fresh start but of course, she never listened. She just gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him she would think about it.

Gwen shook her head and sighed as she climbed into the cab of the truck, leaning back into the leather seat. She tried to clear her head by focusing on the landscape outside; the tall, uncut blades of grass and the night sky that always gave her a feeling of freedom but she couldn't stop thinking about Elijah or the three Original vampires in the back that were, for all intensive purposes, just sleeping.

Gwen was still staring out the window when Elliot climbed back in and started up the engine, this time whistling under his breath.  
>She glared at him out of the corner of her eye before she turned away. Honestly... He wasn't worth the argument.<p>

"Are you gonna tell me why you got so mad before?"

Gwen looked over at him incredulously, wondering how it was possible that one person could be so stupid.

And he could have just stopped talking but no! He just HAD to keep going, " I mean I just the said guy's name, it's not like I-" Gwen whirled around in her seat and Elliot recoiled from the strength of her glare.

"That's exactly the problem, you are talking about things that go completely over your head. Don't you understand? You have no place running your mouth off and asking all sorts of questions that are of no concern to you! You might think that you're special or significant but like I said before you are dispensable! You won't last long because one day, someone like me is going to get fed up with all your questions and just like that-" she snapped her fingers to demonstrate, "you'll be dead!" Finished with her rant, the redhead raised her eyebrows at the hybrid, just daring him to speak.

Elliot sat in his seat, still a little wide eyed with his hands resting on the steering wheel and despite her annoyance, she couldn't help being amused. But when he showed no sign of moving, her impatience made a reappearance and she snapped, "Well are we leaving or not?"

Elliot blinked and stepped on the gas, finally driving away from the witch house. He glanced over at her nervously but she just sighed and let her eyes drift shut, tuning out the rest of the world.

When Gwen reopened her eyes, Elliot was gone and the truck had stopped moving. She sat up quickly and jumped out of the truck, into the night air . The grass under her feet cushioned her landing and when her head snapped up, she came face to face with Elliot.

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up," The hybrid grinned at her and Gwen straightened up and glared at him.

"Well why didn't you wake me then?"

He shrugged and started walking to the back of the truck. "I figured I'd get more work done without you complaining the entire way."

Gwen snorted indignantly but didn't protest. He was right, she certainly wasn't going out of her way to make things easier for him.

"Anyway I figured that you could help me with the last one." Elliot told her as he pushed a wooden trolley in her direction. Gwen eyed it with distaste and raised her eyebrows at the smirking hybrid.

"And what exactly do you want me to do with this?" There was no way that she was going to lift one of those coffins AGAIN! In her opinion, she'd done enough manual labor to last multiple lifetimes.

Elliot rolled his eyes and Gwen bristled, "Really? Just load the last coffin onto the cart and I'll wheel it in." Wheel it in? For the first time, Gwen actually looked at her surroundings and realized they were back at Klaus' mansion. Though she wasn't entirely sure where else she expected them to be, of course he'd want to have his family close to him after what happened the last time he trusted someone with their location. She'd be paranoid too.

Gwen pushed up the sleeves of her coat and jumped onto the truck in one clean movement and not for the first time, she was grateful for the gifts she was given as a vampire. Otherwise, she'd be a whole lot crankier and a whole lot sweatier.

"Alright let's just get this over with." She wrinkled her nose and gripped the edge of the wooden coffin and pushed, moving it easily like there were wheels on the bottom. Once part of it was resting on the trolley, Gwen swiveled the large box around and gave it one last push. With a thud it landed perfectly on the trolley and despite herself Gwen smiled proudly.

"There I helped." She announced and jumped off the back of the truck and started wiping the dust off her hands onto her coat. "Now run along and Take whoever's in this box back to Klaus."

Elliot rolled his eyes and began dragging the wooden trolley carrying the final coffin towards Klaus' mansion but Gwen stopped him with an outstretched hand.

"But before you go, since I've been so helpful, I think I deserve a reward, don't you?" She gave him the sincerest smile she could muster but his eyes narrowed and gazed at her suspiciously.

"And what kind of reward did you have in mind?" Elliot asked warily, already edging towards the mansion.

"Well since you asked, I was wondering how much you knew about Elijah's whereabouts." Gwen watched him intently, much like a cat studies a mouse just before it attacks. All she had to do was just be patient and eventually he'd crack. Even now, his frown deepened and he licked his lips nervously.

"I don't know!" Elliot snapped angrily but his brave facade cracked a little and Gwen pounced.

"Look, we're on the same side here," She doubted threatening the boy wouldn't work, so she would just have to be a little more persuasive. "We're working towards a common goal,the two of us," Seeing his doubt she added, " And i already helped you get the coffins."

Elliot still looked skeptical but Gwen held onto her charming smile. "I'd say you owed me one." Elliot snorted and turned around, making Gwen's disappear instantly. Within a blink of a human eye, she blurred between Elliot and the cart, sending him stumbling backwards. All pretenses of being friendly were gone and her pale face seemed to glow in the moonlight.

"Alright, I've only put up with being nice about this for your benefit, so since you aren't being cooperative, we're going to be doing things my way."  
>Gwen's fangs lengthened and she advanced towards the blond hybrid and the veins around her green eyes pulsed.<p>

Elliot gulped and a predatory smile appeared on Gwen's face. As much as she resented Klaus as a person, she had to admit that his methods were effective.

It was far easier to get information out of people when they were afraid.

And as she sauntered towards Elliot, she could see in his blue eyes that he'd finally realized what he was dealing with- a centuries old, pissed off, vampire. But before she had the chance to grab his throat and shut the idiot up forever, the porch light went on, bathing her in an unnatural light.  
>She whirled around and saw Klaus standing in the doorway. He didn't seem upset, which worried Gwen, in fact he seemed rather amused.<p>

"Guinevere, if you could restrain yourself from decapitating any more of my friends, I'd be quite grateful." With that said, he turned around and called over his shoulder, "Come along Elliot, why don't you show Kol to his room?" The Original disappeared into his mansion and Gwen scowled at the empty doorway.

So she stood there practically spitting out fire while Elliot straightened his coat and shouldered past her to get to the coffin laying on the trolley.  
>"Oh," He looked back at her with a cocky grin on his face that made Gwen's expression darken. Of course he was brave now that the big bad Klaus had appeared. "And I was telling you the truth back at that witch house, you won't get Elijah back if you don't help Klaus."<p>

Gwen didn't give him the satisfaction of responding, instead she stared past him at Klaus's new mansion. Elliot turned his back on the redhead and ealked off and it took every ounce of her strength not to attack while his back was turned. But as she watched him disappear, she made it up to herself by deciding that one day, she'd tear his heart out herself when he didn't have Klaus watching over him.

That made a grim smile creep onto her face but that smile vanished when she realized the severity of her situation. She'd gotten involved with Klaus, and she'd helped him get his family back so she could only hope that if she chose to undagger them, they wouldn't be too forgiving of their brother.

And after all her efforts, she still had no idea where Elijah was. She didn't even know if he was _in_ Mystic Falls.

Her mind traveled to the three coffins she'd seen but she crossed that option out as soon as it entered her brain. The image of the man she loved laying pale and still inside a coffin nearly made her sick to her stomach.

There was no way in hell Elijah had gotten himself daggered; she had known him for almost one millennium and in all that time, she'd never met anyone as brilliant as him. He'd always been one step ahead of the game.

Despite her bitterness, a ghost of a smile appeared on Gwen's face as she remembered all the times he'd beaten her at chess- _his_ favorite game. She'd always have a perfect plan figured out, it would seem flawless and every single match, she'd think that _this_ would be the time where she'd finally win, but he always outsmarted her.

He wouldn't lower his guard that easily, Gwen thought as she chewed her lip anxiously, so there was no way he could be in one of those coffins. But then, where was he?

Klaus never told her the whole truth about his brother and she'd been stupid to assume that he would just hand over any information, but as she thought about the coffins, a plan began to form in her mind.

Perhaps one of the other Originals would be able to help her find him, or at least give her a starting point. Her green eyes brightened and the hopelessness in them disappeared. She gazed at Klaus' mansion with a new appreciation.

They were family after all and one thing she'd learned about the Originals was that in their own twisted way, they were loyal to their own. Surely they'd help her find their brother.

Well... Rebekah would and possibly Finn but Kol was a shot in the dark.

But she couldn't get ahead of herself, she'd have to undagger them first. And to do that, she'd have to get past Klaus.

Gwen looked up at the mansion and while she took a step forward, she tuned in to the conversation going on between Klaus and was just in time to hear Elliot's voice ask,"What are you going to do know that you've got your family back?" That peaked Gwen's interest and she picked up her pace as she jogged towards the mansion, realizing that this could be her only shot to get some information.

Her hand was on the iron door handle when she heard a gasp and a horrible tearing sound, one she was very familiar with. A heart had just been ripped out of someone's chest.

She paused and tilted her head against the door, trying to get a better grasp on what was happening. From the lack of a heartbeat and the obvious fact that not even a hybrid could kill Klaus, she knew it was Elliot that had just been killed.

She felt a little sad but not out of grief for the young man but more out of regret that he'd died before Klaus answered his question. And that she hadn't been able to kill him herself.

Gwen shrugged to herself and and opened the door, surprised to see no signs of a struggle. As she walked out of the foyer and slowly turned the corner, she focused on ignoring the tiny part of her mind screaming at her to run. If Klaus was killing his OWN hybrids, he probably wouldn't think twice about ripping out her heart.

But when she stopped at rhe end of the hall, it wasn't Klaus she saw standing over the body of the blond hybrid. The blond Original was standing far away from the dead man and in any case, his hands were clean and devoid of blood. Gwen's green eyes traveled away from the body and what she saw made the breath rush out of her body and, if she'd been human, the shock of it all would have caused her to faint.

"Elijah?"

The brown haired man standing over Elliot blinked at her, the strength of his stare causing butterflies to stir in her stomach. The frown that darkened his face lessened as he took a deep breath and she leaned forward, desperate to hear the deep voice that she'd been missing for six months.

"Gwen?"


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N I'm so sorry that it's taken so long but I am a horrible procrastinator. I really appreciate reviews and they motivate me to keep writing so please comment! So here it is, finally, the point when the story spirals off on it's own direction. Enjoy :)_

Chapter 5- Close enough to touch

You know that part that somehow manages to worm its way into every romantic movie ever created; when the couple reunites after overcoming their obstacles and they've finally realized they are meant to be together? The characters always stare at each other for an agonizingly long time, then they run into each others arms in slow motion. Well Gwen never understood that.

As a generally level-headed person, she knew that life wasn't really like that. She'd always found it ridiculous how the director or producer or whoever stretched the hell out of what should have only been a two second shot and she was quite fond of voicing her opinion on that particular subject. But now, when the situation suddenly applied to her, she finally got it.

She wanted to stare at Elijah forever, just drink him in until his face would be all she could see when she closed her eyes. But, Gwen's suspicious mind refused to to believe that life could be that easy. Perhaps it was just a dream and panic overtook her.

What if her tired mind had just conjured up Elijah to bring her some momentary peace. Was she still asleep in Elliot's truck?

Her breath began to come in shallow gasps and she grabbed onto the edge of the closest end table for support. Almost immediately, Elijah was at her side, holding her shoulders and keeping her steady. His hands were warm and Gwen could feel the strength in them. She stared up at him with wonder in her green eyes and to any one looking in, it would have seemed like the two had been apart for years- not months.

In one quick move, Gwen threw her arms around Elijah's neck, pressing him as close to her as she could. His arms left her shoulders to wrap around her waist just as tightly as she was holding onto him.

Elijah pressed his lips against the wild red curls that covered her head and Gwen shivered with pleasure. She nuzzled deeper into the front of his suit, inhaling the familiar smell of chocolate and coffee that always accompanied her love.

"Dear God, I've missed you." She whispered into his chest, content to stay where she was for at least another decade.

She felt him frown against her head and she pulled back to see his face. She reached out and caressed his cheek, smiling when he leaned into the touch. She wanted to wipe the frown off his face permanently, she'd always hated it when he was unhappy.

"Elijah, what's wrong?" Gwen stared up at him, not understanding the frown that still lingered on his face. They were together again, everything could go back to normal. Her grip on the front of his suit tightened and Elijah instantly wrapped his hands around her own in an attempt to relax her.

Gwen didn't flinch away from the blood that was now covering her hands, in fact the cool liquid had a relaxing effect on her, unlike some vampires who found blood to be a type of energizer.

"Where were you?" She repeated softly, pressing herself as close as possible against Elijah, looking into his eyes mournfully. Six whole months he'd been gone. That was the longest time they'd spent apart in well over 500 years and she was suffering from a serious withdrawal.

Elijah sighed and pressed his forehead against hers for a few glorious seconds then pulled away to glare at his brother.

Klaus had been staring at Elliot's body for their entire exchange but the moment he felt Elijah's gaze on him, he raise his green eyes to challenge his brother's dark gaze.

"Well, I'd hate to interrupt such a touching moment..." Klaus rubbed his chin in a nervously and started backing away but stopped when Elijah chuckled.

"Is something funny brother?" Klaus snapped, forgetting his that he had just been afraid of his brother.

Elijah let got of Gwen's arms and walked towards his brother with a sarcastic smile that made Gwen uneasy even though it wasn't directed at her.

"Not at all Niklaus, why would I find the fact that I was betrayed by my own brother amusing?"

Gwen watched the two Originals with a steadily growing fear that made her hands twitch anxiously. On one hand she looked forward to a fight with Klaus but the slight chance that Elijah could be hurt was more important than her revenge and she was mature enough to acknowledge that.

Making a split second decision, Gwen stepped between the two brothers, resting a hand on Elijah's chest, blocking Klaus from his angry glare. "Let's not fight."

Elijah's head snapped down to look at her incredulously, "What are you talking about?"

Gwen shrugged casually but the glance she sent Klaus' way was anything but calm. There was a prickly feeling in her fingertips that told her letting her guard down would be a bad idea. "I got what I wanted," she murmured, praying that for once in his life Elijah would act out against his character and forget about all this drama. "Klaus got what he wanted, why can't we just leave it at that?" She already knew what his answer would be but she couldn't help staring up at him imploringly with her green eyes on the off chance he would change his mind.

Elijah stared down at her with a thoughtful look in his brown eyes and raised a hand to brush through her curls. She leaned into the touch and pulled his hand down to cradle it between both of hers. He looked into her eyes as he hissed,"He killed my family Gwen; Finn, Kol, Rebekah..."

He trailed off to glare at his blond brother who didn't cower. Instead Klaus puffed out his chest and protested, "They aren't dead Elijah, and you know that as well as I do." Klaus folded her arms across his chest as if he was defending himself and he slumped against the wall. When he spoke again, he seemed to be talking to himself. "They're merely sleeping."

At seeing his dejected face, Gwen almost felt a bit of pity for the vampire. She knew it was unreasonable but she could relate to his loneliness. There was a whole period of time she'd spent alone and she could understand how an eternity of that could make a person miserable. Klaus would be no different.

"Not anymore." When Elijah's surprisingly calm response came, Gwen's voice mingled with Klaus' as they both stared at him in horror.

"WHAT?"

The shock on Klaus' face was instantly replaced with outrage and the blond Original lunged at his brother and Gwen reacted on instinct. To be fair, she had an advantage since she was already blocking Elijah but Klaus obviously assumed that she'd move out of the way to protect herself. In so many ways, Klaus was as naive as Elliot, especially when it came to love.

Gwen threw herself at Klaus, the two of them crashing into each other, the sound as harsh and as loud as thunder. Gwen nearly shrieked as her shoulder dislocated but she bit her lip to hold the moan back. She glanced up to see Klaus rubbing his chest and eying her warily.

"Was that really necessary?" Klaus straightened his back and took a menacing step forward but was intercepted by Elijah who blocked the petite redhead from Klaus.

Gwen glowered at Klaus from behind Elijah's shoulder but couldn't hide the smugness when she replied, "Yes."

Klaus snarled at her and she tried to lunge at him but Elijah wrapped his arms around her, holding her in place. The feisty vampire relaxed as soon as his arms touched her waist but she still scowled at Klaus from the protective cage of Elijah's hold.

Elijah pressed his lips against her ear and murmured, "Now do you see my problem?"

Gwen frowned but she nodded. Screw wanting to get out of here as fast as possible, she wanted to tear Klaus' head off herself.

"What did you mean 'not anymore'?" Klaus all but growled, shifting his angry glare from Gwen to Elijah.

Elijah merely smiled at his brother in a way that was sure to annoy him. "Our dear family will be joining us momentarily." Elijah glanced down at the solid gold watch on his wrist, "I wouldn't be surprised if they walked through that door any second now."

Klaus blurred over to his brother and grabbed the front of his shirt, making Gwen hiss at him warningly. "Do you have any idea what you have just done?" The blond snapped.

Elijah stared calmly back at his brother, "Yes, I do."

Klaus released Elijah and ran his hands through his golden hair anxiously. "I never wanted any of this to happen," the Original hybrid muttered to himself, "they gave me no choice!"

Gwen eyed Klaus warily, watching as he began pacing, getting more and more stressed out. And when the rest of the Original ffamily arrived, she was sure the tension would only rise. It was probably time she left the two alone to deal with their family issues.

"And I suppose you'll be wanting to stick around for the fireworks?" Gwen looked up at Elijah, knowing the answer as soon as she saw the torn expression on his face. She mustered up a small smile for his benefit since she'd been expecting this sort of thing and pulled a small card put of her jacket pocket.

"Come find me when you're done." She slid the hotel room key into his outstretched hand and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Gwen..." He shot her a pleading look, begging her to understand and of course she did. She'd been with him for almost a millennium after all.

"See you soon darling." She blew him one last kiss before racing past Klaus out the main door, practically a blur to the brothers' heightened eyes.  
>Outside, she stumbled to a stop, tripping over her own feet in her hurry to get out of the mansion. She took a few more awkward steps but only made it as far as Elliot's truck that was still parked in the driveway. She glared at the white monstrosity as if it were the cause of her problems and in a flash of anger Gwen slammed her hands against the truck, hitting it as hard as she could.<p>

"God dammit!" She hissed at the pain throbbing in her right hand and tucked her hand against her chest, waiting for the pain to subside.

The redhead looked down and already the swelling in her hand had gone down. She shook it out, wincing as the blood rushed through her fingers.

"Why does this happen to me?" Gwen slumped against the back of the truck and slid down until she was sitting on the pavement. She tilted her head back to stare up at the sky as if there was something there that could give her advice. If only stars could talk, Gwen thought sadly, perhaps they would be able to offer some wisdom.

That's when she realized there was something wrong.

"That's it, I'm insane." Gwen threw her hands up and buried her head in her hands. "I'm trying to talk to stars." She laughed a little bit but the sound was more hysterical than amused and with her red curls flying every which way, she definitely looked... unbalanced.

Gwen rubbed her nose and sniffled, feeling incredibly sorry for herself. She literally had Elijah within her grasp and then had him snatched away all during the span of a few minutes.

"Come on girl, get it together." She muttered to herself, picking herself off the ground and wiping the gravel from her jeans."I'll be seeing him soon." But she knew those words were just a half-hearted attempt at reassuring herself everything would be alright.

She spared the mansion one last glance before setting off down the driveway, determined not to take another look at the place until she had Elijah by her side. Gwen took a deep breath, smoothed her wild curls and ran.

The hotel she'd chosen to stay in was a few miles away from the Mystic Falls border, close enough that the town was in reach but far enough away that she'd easily be able to put distance between her and Klaus. Now as she unlocked the door and slid inside to the nauseatingly country- styled bedroom, she wished that she'd picked something closer.

She shrugged off her jacket, letting it fall to the floor and kicked off her heels, sighing when her feet sank into the carpet. Gwen made her way over to the bed wearily, dodging various types of luggage scattered about the room. The events of the day were catching up with her and she seriously needed a nap.

She faltered for a second, pausing with one hand on the bed. A day? It had only been a DAY?

She collapsed onto the cheap bed and groaned, one day in this town felt like five years. Reaching one hand off the side of the bed, Gwen groped around until she pulled the bag closest to her onto the bed and rummaged through it for something to wear. She shimmied out of her clothes, changing into the boxers and tank top she'd brought as pajamas.

Kicking the discarded clothes onto the floor, she climbed under the blanket, pulling the covers over her face like a child. Sighing softly, she locked away all worries and bad feelings about Elijah and did the only thing she could: sleep.

Three hours later, Gwen was woken up by a rustling noise at the door. In a dreamy haze, she forgot where she was and almost shouted at Elijah to let her get some sleep but then she realized she wasn't with Elijah, she was was alone in a hotel room. Her green eyes snapped open but instinct held her still and kept her breathing even, knowing she should appear asleep. The bedroom door opened slowly and shut quietly, the footsteps of the person edging closer and closer to the bed.

Gwen tensed under the blanket, preparing to fling herself at her attacker but when she whirled around, she wasn't face to face with Klaus or one of his hybrids but Elijah and his deep brown eyes.

"Elijah!" She hissed, smacking him on the shoulder and trying to hold back the smile fighting it's way onto her face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered sporting a soft smile that melted her heart. "I was trying not to wake you."

"You know you can always wake me if you need to." Gwen scolded him, sitting up and brushing her hair out of her eyes. "So what happened?" Her emerald eyes searched his body for any signs of damage before returning to his face.

Elijah sighed and absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair, obviously struggling to summarize the meeting and Gwen mentally smacked herself.

"But we can talk about it tomorrow." She offered with a smile, patting the bed beside him, inviting him to join her.

Instantly the worry line on his forehead disappeared and he kicked his shoes and jacket off, carefully laying them down on the chair beside the bed as Gwen watched silently.

Elijah then slid under the covers with Gwen, who hummed happily as he wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his face into her red curls. He pressed a soft kiss against her cheek and she sighed contentedly, relaxing for the first time in almost 6 months.

"I've missed you." She murmured and snuggled deeper into the pillow, smiling to herself when his grip on her waist tightened.

"I've missed you too, more than you can believe." Elijah whisperer back and she turned to face him curiously.

"What was it like?" Gwen asked softly then added, "Klaus said it was like sleeping but he wouldn't really know..."

Elijah was silent for a moment, considering his answer. "Niklaus was right to an extent, but it was like a dreamless sleep. Peaceful but at the same time unsettling."

Gwen shivered subconsciously and Elijah rubbed her arms, "I didn't mean to leave you for so long." He told her sadly, and Gwen rushed to reassure him, hating the desolate expression on his handsome face.

" I know," she touched his cheek and smiled gently, wishing she was able to physically make him see how happy she was. "And anyway, now isn't the time to be sad. We're together and that's all that matters."

He nodded slowly and she stretched up to kiss him. He cradled her head in his hands and deepened the kiss, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. Gwen pulled away to meet his eyes and then it was her turn to hold his face.

"We can worry about everything else tomorrow, OK?"

Elijah chuckled quietly and pulled her closer to him as he whispered back, "OK."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six - Where to go from here

_A/N I'm so so sorry that I haven't updated in like 5 months but the worst writer's block I've ever had is over so let's get on with the story! Thanks for being so patient and let me know what you think :)_

When Gwen finally reopened her eyes in the morning, the light pouring in from the open window made her groan and recoil deeper into the covers, trying to force herself back to sleep. Lately the dream world had become more bearable than reality and ever since Elijah left, Gwen had trouble letting go of the world she left behind when waking up.

As she had been doing for the past few months, she dreamt of Elijah but there was something different about last night's dream; Niklaus was a special feature in last night's dream but so were his ... hybrids?

Gwen grimaced and hoped that if she did actually come face to face with Klaus she wouldn't have to deal with vampire-werewolf crossovers. But other than that the dream was tragically ordinary; Elijah made it back to her again and all was well - until Gwen woke up and realized that the spot beside her on the bed was cold and Elijah was still gone.

The redhead sighed and decided the best way to make it through the day would be just reach over and acknowledge the fact that once again her bed was empty.

Hoping would just result in further heartache.

So, with a weary hand, Gwen stretched her fingers out her fingers. Expecting to find nothing but blankets, she braced herself against the ache that would soon fill her chest but instead of reaching sheets, her fingers met with flesh.

Gwen's green eyes widened and her actions were based completely on instinct; within an instant she was out of bed, fangs bared and prepared to attack. It took a moment for her to snap out her paranoia-induced haze and realize it wasn't a stranger sitting in the bed.

It was _Elijah_.

"You know that wasn't really the reaction I was expecting." Her lover teased, rising from the bed to stand in front of her. Elijah cradled Gwen's face in his hands, rubbing her cheeks until her fangs and veins disappeared.

He smiled at her rather calmly for a person who just got snarled at but then again it WAS Elijah. He was hardly ever fazed by anything. "It really is me, love."

"Oh." She blinked up at him, feeling a bit foolish and rather embarrassed by her overreaction, "So last night, wasn't a dream?"

Elijah chuckled at her, "Do you normally have dreams like that?"

Gwen sighed and wrapped her hands around his larger ones, "For the past couple of months yes." She paused and offered him a half-hearted smirk, "Although the hybrids were new."

A look of disgust passed over Elijah's face at the mention of the hybrids. " I can't begin to understand what goes through my brother's head."

"Ah well you can't change your family darling." Gwen shrugged and gently lowered his hands from her face. "Now speaking of family what happened with yours last night?"

"Finn left." Elijah said shortly, dropping her hands and taking Gwen by surprise. "Kol too, to who knows where." He turned away from her then, picking up his jacket from where he had dropped it the night before.

"And Rebekah?" Gwen prompted, taking a seat on the edge of the creaky hotel bed.

"My sister decided to stay with Klaus."

Gwen frowned, utterly lost. "Why would she do that? He staked her and she's not exactly the most forgiving person in the world."

Elijah's jaw tightened, "Unfortunately, Klaus knows exactly how to get people to do his bidding without even using compulsion."

Gwen chewed her lip thoughtfully, she had first hand knowledge of how Klaus was able to find a person's weakness then exploit it. Her canine teeth throbbed, aching to rip into Klaus for daring to bait her with Elijah, but, revenge would have to come later, she needed to focus on Elijah.

So the redhead nodded her agreement and approached her lover cautiously, resting her cheek against his arm in a manner she hopped was comforting. "But it doesn't matter now." She murmured, grasping his left hand tightly with both of hers. "We can leave, get out of here, no looking back!" Her eyes lit up, shining like emeralds with all the new possibilities.

Elijah frowned but the other vampire was too absorbed in her own excitement to notice. She was already zipping around the hotel room, shoving discarded things into her bags.

"I can book a flight and we'll be out of here in a few hours! We could go to our château in France or maybe the Bahamas, you know we haven't been to Spain in a while... We could go to Alaska for all I care, just as long as we get out of here!" Gwen let out an excited sigh and glanced over her shoulder expecting to see Elijah smiling indulgently back at her but he remained as sombre as ever.

"Elijah?" Her smile faded rapidly as she dropped her bag to the ground and walked over to him. "What's wrong?"

Elijah winced slightly and grabbed her hands which she assumed was meant to comfort her but she was unsettled by the pained look that appeared on his face.

" I can't." He bit out, his brown eyes staring imploringly into her own green orbs, begging her to understand something he hadn't even explained yet.

"You can't what?" Gwen snapped, more harshly than she intended but she was too frazzled to take back the words.

"I can't leave, Gwen." Elijah told her warily, "Klaus made me an offer- one I couldn't refuse."

Gwen stiffened and practically recoiled from his grasp. "You're kidding me," she snarled, "You've got to be kidding me. I thought we were talking about Rebeckah before with all that Klaus is persuasive crap, not YOU!"

Elijah reached for her but she slipped away, backing up until she hit the wall.

"We were, just LISTEN to me -"

"No! You're choosing your psychopath of a brother over me!" Every single part of her body was trembling, even her red curls were shaking and Gwen felt like she could explode at any moment. Common sense abandonned her at the thought of Elijah being taken away from her just as she finally got him BACK! She tried taking deep breathes but they did nothing to calm her body, since she really didn't need to breathe. It was a vampire equivalent to a panic attack.

Gwen let out a low moan and Elijah rushed over to her. He wrapped his arms around her, practically smothering her until the shaking subsided.

"I won't lose you again." She whispered, clutching him desperately as if she could physically keep him away from Klaus.

" You won't. " Elijah stroked her curls softly, pressing soothing kisses to the top of her head. "I promise you won't." She raised her head and attempted to untangle herself from his arms but he held firm and Gwen gave up, falling back into his arms.

"Will you please just listen to me?" Elijah asked quietly making Gwen give him a glare.

"You'd better have a damn good reason as to why we aren't on our way out of this town immediately."

Elijah interpreted that as a yes.

"Klaus needs help, and in exchange he offered us freedom." The Original tilted Gwen's face up towards his to gauge her reaction.

Her green eyes narrowed and she asked skeptically, "Freedom from what?"

"Him." Elijah answered, his brown eyes radiating the way Gwen's had at the prospect of leaving Mystic Falls. "If we help him we won't have to keep looking over our shoulders for eternity, we'll have true peace after all these years."

Gwen ducked her chin, refusing to meet his pleading gaze. "I don't like it." She mumbled and instantly hated herself for sounding like a petulant child.

"I know love, neither do I but what other choice do we have?" Elijah whispered and she met his stare fiercely.

"We could RUN," she told him, wanting to shake him until he understood. "Run and never look back, we could go anywhere in the world. Elijah, it would be so easy..." Gwen's voice trailed off imploringly but Elijah just shook his head.

"You'd regret it later on Gwen, you know you would." He brushed an errant curl behind her ear and she sighed irritably.

"So what is so important to Klaus that he's willing to renounce his claim on his family?"

"I've told you about Tatia before haven't I?" Elijah asked but it was a rhetorical question, he knew he had.

"Years ago, yes." As a vampire Gwen could recall, with perfect detail, the day she had summoned the courage to ask Elijah about his past. She knew it was a sensitive subject but he told her anyway, taking his time in explaining how the Original family was created. He'd told her about how Tatia was the woman whose blood made it possible for Elijah and his family to complete the transition and become vampires. Katerina Petrova and Elena Gilbert were her current doppelgängers.

"What about her?"

Elijah released her and Gwen quickly righted herself before she could tumble onto the ground. She glared over at Elijah but he wasn't looking her way; he was focused on a spot on the wall, eyes glazed over as he remembered people and places he'd seen centuries ago.

Gwen nudged his shoulder and he snapped out of his trance, continuing to speak with a bitter voice, "According to my brother, Tatia isn't dead as I'd believed."

"So what happened to her then?" Curiosity swiftly replaced Gwen's anger and she moved to stand by Elijah's side.

"Before she could die, Klaus convinced my mother to place a spell on Tatia, keeping her alive until he decided it was safe enough to bring her back. Then, like the rest of us, he locked her away in a coffin."

Gwen frowned, trying to sort out this new information. "But why would he-"

Elijah cut her off with a sigh. "Because he loves her."

"Oh." Gwen blinked, she hadn't imagined Klaus even capable of loving someone and Elijah certainly hadn't told her that part of the story. Despite her anger at the whole situation, she felt a new wave of pity for this Tatia girl because Niklaus had a way of hurting the people he loved the most.

"So what's the problem, what's he need us for?"

Elijah's gaze locked on hers and she almost shivered from the intensity.

"When Stephen Salvatore stole the coffins containing me and my siblings, Klaus did get them back, but the Salvatores apparently had enough time to hide one coffin and they chose the one with the most enchantments protecting it."

Gwen's eyes widened, a low breath escaping her. "They took the one with Tatia inside."

Elijah nodded grimly, "And now Klaus wants us to get her back."


End file.
